Again? Honestly, Godric!
by Elysia of Corellia
Summary: Godric tangles with some angry chimeras and Salazar must tend to him. Companion piece to Dragons and BoarHunts, can be read separately. No romance slash, smut, or het. Oneshot.


This is set in the same universe as ...., but about a year earlier. grins I'm assuming any readers of the earlier one will have already guessed the identities, so names are mentioned once or twice. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

"Insensible raging lunatic!"

"Now, that's a bit harsh…"

"No more so than you deserve. Of all the idiotic things to do, why did this have to be at the top of the list?"

"…I wanted to see them up close?"

"Only you, Godric, only you."

"Only me what?"

"Only you would have the sheer gall to desire a meeting with chimeras up close and personal. Do you think I _enjoy_ patching you up after you've nearly killed yourself? Is that why you persist in this habit of yours?"

"What habit?"

"The one of getting yourself poisoned, gashed, gouged, burned, nearly eaten, drowned, etc. every time you see an 'interesting creature.'"

"Oh. That one."

"Yes. That one. Honestly, what else would I be talking about?!"

"Umm… Well, laziness is one."

"True. But laziness is incomparable with the foolhardy bravery you too often display. No, cross out the bravery, it's just plain idiocy, pure and simple."

"Foolhardy bravery? I prefer to think of it as…"

"As what? A death wish? Because that is what it seems you have."

"…"

"Honestly, are you _trying_ to get yourself killed? Because if so, just say the word and I will stand back! Easier than extracting you from these countless escapades you seem to be so fond of. Gryffins, merfolk, thestrals, the Grim, dragons, werewolves, chimeras… What's next, manticores?!"

The angry boy rocked back on his heels, glaring at his friend, waiting for a response. He received an apologetic look before the other lowered his head, allowing blonde hair to cover his face. Slightly pacified by the showing of repentance, he returned to spreading the soothing potions over the countless burns and continued his rant in tones that were barely perceptible to be softer.

"Sometimes I truly wonder if you're going to survive to be twenty, you know. Tell me, is this attraction to danger inherent in your bloodline? Did your mother ever end up in such predicaments? Your father? Is that the answer?"

He didn't expect an answer to that, and did not receive one.

"Look at yourself. It'll be a miracle if these heal within a week, even with the potion - and this is one of the strongest there is. What did you do to get such a reaction, anyway, try to steal one of their kids or simply attack the main herd?"

The addressee shifted slightly before subsiding with a grimace. Catching his breath, the other looked at him sharply.

"You didn't… Please tell me that you didn't." No answer. He groaned. "No wonder they were so furious. Whatever possessed you to try that, of all things?!"

The fair boy began to answer, but the other cut him off. "No, on second thoughts, I do not believe I want to know. A better question: are you going to try avoiding this kind of thing in the future, or should I resign myself to years of tending to various wounds? I'll need to know so that I can stock up on the potions."

"…You know I don't _try_ to…"

"You certainly don't try _not_ to," he countered, pushing black hair out of his face. "There's a very simple thing called caution. Have you ever heard of it?"

"Yes…" The word was tentative.

"Astonishing. You certainly never seem to practice it - are you sure you know what, exactly, it means, and did not hear the word in casual conversation?"

Wisely, in the dark boy's opinion, the other kept silent. He sighed wearily and played the trump card. "Did it ever occur to you what would happen should you be killed?"

"What do you mean?"

"Consider. I have no friends among either humans or my own kind, and there are times when trouble comes calling regardless of precautions. Without aid at such times, I would likely not survive half as long." Exaggeration, but not much… "Are you prepared to sentence me to an earlier death as well?" Score. The fair boy's eyes widened and he took in a gasping breath. Obviously, he'd not considered that aspect of his recklessness, and the point hit hard.

"No… I didn't think…"

"Exactly." He waited a moment to let that point sink in as well. "Now do you see the need for caution?" he pressed.

"Yes… yes."

He had scared him, he saw with satisfaction. And while the fright would dissipate quickly, there was the chance that it would impart some small measure of thought to his actions in the future. Now to calm him… He scooped a pain-relieving paste from another small bowl and began rubbing it over the burns on his arms, speaking softly.

"You don't need to live in perpetual fear of harming either yourself or me."

The other looked up swiftly. "But - you just said -"

"I know. Caution is necessary, yes. You shouldn't needlessly place yourself in life-threatening situations like with the chimeras." Or the dragon, or the gryffins, or… "But terror is more harmful than good. You need to learn to use enough care to keep from getting in harm's way in the first place." Finishing with the arms, he took a little more and began applying it to his friend's singed chest. His silver eyes caught the other's light brown. "Just try not to get yourself killed, all right?"

"Okay," he mumbled.

"Good." He paused. "Turn around, please." The fair boy did so, and the dark spread the potion over the quite badly burned back. His friend hissed for a moment, then, sighing in relief as the numbing coolness spread, relaxed under the skilled hands. Pausing for a moment, he examined the mane of blonde hair with a bemused expression. The ends were blackened and crisp, caught by the chimeras' fiery breath. A barely audible protesting whine prompted him to continue. It was possible that the Animagus transformation would fix the damage; if not, the scorched tips were certainly earned.

Silently, he bound the burns in conjured bandages laced with more healing potions. A small smile crossed his lips at the sight of the fair boy covered in white cloth from the torso up, aside from the head. That had, for the most part, escaped damage - although the hair was singed, and… He sighed in exasperation. How had that gash, still oozing blood, managed to escape his attention? No; that answer was simple enough, as he had been distracted by the burns. A better question: where had it come from? Goat's hooves would not have made that mark, and lion's heads would have been breathing fire. The tail, perhaps? Lightly he laid a finger to the wound on his companion's forehead, bringing a few drops of the blood to his nose and then tongue. While the barbs on the tail did not carry poison, any wounds inflicted had a habit of becoming infected. The fair boy flinched, wincing, at the touch, and he frowned.

"Where did this come from?"

"I'm not sure," the other answered hesitantly, eyes now fixed on the bloodied finger. "I… At one point, while I was trying to get away, I fell and hit my head - but I don't know for sure…"

Still frowning, he tasted the red liquid again. It didn't seem to carry any difference, as it probably would had it been from the tail-barbs; but the injury would still need caring for.

"It was probably from the fall; it doesn't taste wrong," he informed his friend. "I will still need to clean it, however. Don't move."

Casting around for something to hold water, he transfigured a nearby piece of wood into a dish, Summoning water from the nearby stream to fill it and heating it with a few muttered words. A clean rag was dipped in it, and he wrapped a hand around the back of his head to immobilize him as he carefully wiped the blood away and spread some numbing salve across the gash. Though the fair boy shivered involuntarily at the contact with the wound, the dark one did not pull away. Soon, the salve took effect, and the other boy relaxed until the hand at the back of his head was the only thing supporting him.

With a small smile, the black-haired boy lowered his friend gently to the ground, rolling a spare blanket beneath his head. "Tired?"

"Yes," was admitted with a yawn.

"Must come from fighting those chimeras."

"Mmhmm," he slurred in agreement."

"Now let that be a lesson to you not to attempt stealing young chimeras ever again," he teased softly.

"Yessir. No stealing chimeras…" The words trailed off into another yawn as brown eyes fought to close.

The black-haired boy stroked the other's head with a slender hand, amused to note the rumbling coming from him - was that a purr? His Animagus form must be showing more clearly in the exhaustion. Something deserving of more study, certainly; but for now he merely continued to stroke the fair head. The eyes drifted shut, then fluttered open again. He placed his hand atop them.

"Go to sleep, Godric. You need the rest to heal."

"'Kay…" The eyes shut and did not open as the breathing evened out.

"My reckless, foolhardy, loyal brother," the black-haired boy mused quietly to himself. "You never will change, not really; and I do not think I would have that change if it presented itself." He looked down at the other, now sleeping quietly. "Yes… Sleep, my friend, and heal swiftly. Sleep…"

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